Formación Continua, part of the STM’s continuing education department, is partnering with Pontifical universities and other Jesuit institutions to offer a new international online course: Seguir a Jesús Hoy. Temas de Cristología (Follow Jesus today. Topics of Christology). Seguir a Jesús Hoy is offered free for individuals interested in deepening their faith, regardless of age or educational background. It will be the fifth such course, with contributing professors, both women and men, from all over the Spanish-speaking world. The current course will include theologians from Colombia, Venezuela, Chile, Uruguay, and Spain. Each course has enrolled several thousand participants; expected enrollment for this course is around 15,000.
For additional information and to register, visit:
STM Formación Continua
This is the second course coordinated by Dr. Maria del Pilar Silveira. Commenting on the previous one, Dr. Silveira said, “In the course Las Mujeres en la Iglesia (Women in the Church), it was gratifying to work with six teachers. We enrolled 8600 people, and in the emails we have received, most of them appreciate the enriching space of the forums, which allowed them to learn about and share the experience of faith lived in different countries. We owe that to the Internet, which bridges distances and promotes the exchange of people of different ages, social conditions, and education. We take advantage of the online platform to study, share, and provide reflections that show us the current feeling of the Church." She believes that the high number of enrollees indicates that there is a great need for this kind of formation, and that doing it online, and free of charge, is outstanding since it enables collaboration across universities to give participants access to a range of experts.
One example of importance of such lifelong learning opportunities is Mrs. Ana Leonor Peña, who participated in the Women in the Church. In spite of her deep interest and dedication, she could not complete the course because she became seriously ill and died. Friends from her parish community wrote to the STM requesting her certificate of participation. They wanted to pay tribute to her efforts. That desire of continued learning prompted her to participate in the forums until the end of her life.
Another sign of the value of the Formación online courses is that participants use the materials offered in the course in formation programs in their parishes. They also share the resources among friends and family. According to Dr. Silveira, “That encourages us to continue with this training system, because we see the resulting dissemination and multiplication of information to reach many more people.
This new course on Christology invites participants to continue sharing their faith with the possibility of new relationships and exchanges. “Jesus is always new, and his study is not exhausted,” explains Dr. Silveira. Professors contributing to this course include Silveira and Rafael Luciani, of the STM, Alfredo Infante, Pedro Trigo S.J., Jorge Costadoat S.J., Carmen Bernabé Ubieta, and Consuelo Vélez Caro.
Translation based on Religόn Digital Article by Luis De Dios, MDiv